I'll Be Home For Christmas
by Apocalyptical
Summary: Tony always comes home every Christmas, but this Christmas will be his last. Slash, Gibbs/DiNozzo. Gibbs/Shannon mentioned and Gibbs/Jenny implied.


**Title: **I'll Be Home For Christmas  
**Author's Notes:** Originally written and posted for Day 5 of _tibbs_yuletide_. German-translated version is available by Schattentaenzerin.  
**Warnings: **Past character death, minor religious themes, mention of het  
**Spoilers**: Briefly mentions a character introduced in 5.13  
**Characters / Pairings**: Gibbs/Tony, Gibbs/Shannon, implied Gibbs/Jenny  
**Rating:** PG  
**Genre / Category:** Supernatural/Angst  
**Word Count**: 1,071  
**Disclaimer**: If you think I own NCIS, you're simply imagining it. I don't own the movie The Bishop's Wife, either.  
**Summary:** Tony always comes home every Christmas, but this Christmas will be his last.

* * *

Gibbs was working on the boat again, strains of Bing Crosby's rendition of I'll Be Home For Christmas softly playing on the radio. Every Christmas was spent working on the boat, radio playing softly, bourbon at his side. Just like every year before, his mind usually focused on the ones that he had lost: his mom, Shannon, Kelly, Kate, Jenny, Tony…

Every Christmas, he could imagine that his mom and Shannon were sitting on the stairs, talking quietly, watching him with indulgent smiles while Kelly clambered up and around and over the frame of the boat. Kate would be sitting on the work bench, gossiping with Jenny. Tony, now Tony would be right up in his space, not necessarily working, but doing his best to be a distraction. When that got boring, he'd wander around the basement, examining things and fiddling with Gibbs' stuff or play with Kelly.

However, Gibbs could only imagine this while he was working on the boat. One year he had stayed in his basement, looking over his memories and drinking bourbon, but there hadn't even been a whisper in his imagination regarding the presence of deceased friends and family. He'd been forced to wait a whole more year until he could be reunited with their presence again.

Watching Gibbs work on the boat, lost in his memories and imagination, was frankly quite depressing. It was the only time of the year that they could visit—something about belief, love, hope, charity, and the association of Christmas being the birth of Christ wedged the Gates of Heaven open enough for various people to slip down for a day of visiting. When the Gates closed, everyone who was outside was immediately sucked back in. Oh, there were a few exceptions, of course—most Guardian Angels couldn't do their jobs from inside the Pearly Gates, but that was it.

Tony wished that he could be the Dudley to Gibbs' Julia, but that wasn't quite right, as then their relationship would be doomed and Gibbs would be off gallivanting with someone else—probably Shannon, if she was still alive. However, Gibbs had no cathedral that needed saving, he wasn't neglected by anyone but himself, and he already had a Guardian Angel who was doing a rather fine job, if Gibbs' continued existence upon this Earth was any sign.

As it was, Shannon had first dibs. True, there had been a relationship between them that had been slowly lifting off of the ground by the time his final curtain closed, but now he had to wait in line behind a whole bunch of dead women. Even if marriage didn't actually exist in Heaven, it was doubtful that polygamy of any sort was allowed and Shannon didn't really do it for him, anyways.

Tony lifted a laughing Kelly up and spun her around, sneaking a glance at Gibbs, who had briefly looked up and was staring off blankly into the distance, a soft smile curling his lips. Somewhere in that head of his, Tony and Kelly were doing exactly what they were doing now, smiling and laughing and having fun.

Kelly clung to his chest, looking up at him with sad, adoring eyes. "Uncle Tony, are you really leaving?"

Tony smiled softly and lowered her to the ground, kneeling so he could better look her in the eyes. "That's right, _mia cara_. I won't be gone forever though, and we will see each other again."

Kelly sniffled. "But what about Daddy? He will miss you when you don't come for Christmas again. And who will play with me while Mommy is doing boring singing stuff with the other angels?"

Tony gently wiped away her tears. "I will miss him too, but I'll always be with him in spirit and he will see me again, just like you will. And Kelly, I'm sure Jethro will be glad to keep you company once I go. He's much more fun than I am," he said with a wink.

Kelly lit up, her face still stained with tears. "Jethro's coming? But won't he be sad to leave Uncle Timmy?"

"You'll just have to keep him company then, won't you, _mia bella_?"

She nodded eagerly, and ran over to lean over her father's shoulder, watching him work. Tony slowly stood up and stretched, brushing off his white suit and tilting his halo to a jaunty angle. The privileges of Angels were pretty good, all things considered: halos, wings, and white suits, with a little bit of spiritual power to get things done. Tony's decision to climb up the Holy Ladder wasn't a light one, but it was almost Gibbs' time to join the ranks of those in Heaven and Tony loved him too much to force him to make a decision between him and Shannon. Shannon would win every time, and he also didn't want to break Kelly's heart by trying to push her mom out of the picture. Besides, he liked Shannon. He didn't want to put her—or Gibbs—into that position.

Somewhere off in the distance, he could hear a man and woman having fairly noisy sex, and he winced in distaste as he walked over to stand behind Gibbs. His first charge was on its way, he just wished he didn't have to hear the conception as well. It was time for him to start being a Guardian Angel and leave Gibbs behind.

He leaned over to whisper something in Gibbs' ear, trying to ignore the gazes that had landed upon him and the giggles coming from the stairs and the work bench. He was going to miss coming home for Christmas, and if Gibbs was his home, then, well, what of it?

Giving Kelly, Kate, and Shannon one last hug each, he waved goodbye to the other women as they slowly faded away and he walked up the stairs. It was almost midnight, and getting forcefully relocated into Heaven was rather unpleasant. Drinking in the sight of Gibbs diligently working on the boat, Bing Crosby crooning in the background, he let himself memorize this moment, something to recall when he's chasing behind his young charge, before continuing up the stairs and out the door.

Gibbs continued to work, trying to keep the tears from falling as his heart felt like it was breaking. For some reason, he felt like he'd just been left behind.

Fin

* * *

_mia cara_: my dear

_mia bella:_ my beautiful


End file.
